Stress transfer from polymerization shrinkage of a chemical-cured composite bonded to a pre-cast composite substrate

Objectives: (1) To develop and test a strain gauge-based method for evaluating the strain transferred through a bonded interface to a deformable substrate; and (2) to develop and test a finite element (FE) model for evaluating the stress development in a chemical-cured composite during polymerization. Methods: A generic light-cured resin composite was used to fabricate a rectangular plate with an internal slot filled with a chemical-cured composite. Strain gauges on the surface of the composite in the channel and on the plate adjacent to the channel-plate interface were used to record strain continuously up to 500 s after mixing the composite paste. A quadrant three-dimensional (3D) finite element model used strains measured on the channel to simulate the experimental conditions. The model was used to estimate stresses in the channel and at the bonded interface. Results: Strain in the plate reached a plateau 200 s after mixing the composite. Strain of the composite paste in the channel continued to rise with time but at a steadily decreasing rate. Maximum principal stress predicted by the FE model on top of the plate, on top of the channel and within the channel was 5.12 MPa, 3.78 MPa, and 5.26 MPa, respectively. Significance: Stresses were effectively transferred through the bonded interface in this test configuration, and results were in close agreement with previously reported literature values for polymerization contraction stresses generated in composite configurations with similar bonded to unbonded surface ratios.